No country for old men anaylis

 No Country For Old Men Anaylis

 

In the opening of No country for old men there are some still shots of the landscape, this is indicating to the audience that there is no one there. However whilst the landscape shots are being shown there is a male voice narrating in the background to which we believe is him describing a certain character within the film. With the audience not knowing who the narrator is it creates an immediate sense of mystery and suspense, these still shots of the landscape has been filmed as extreme long shots. Extreme long shots are very artificial shots ,they are used for a dramatic effect and the tight focus required means that extra care must be taken when setting up and lighting the shot - the slightest camera shake or error in focal length is very noticeable.

Further on in the opening scene some of the main characters within the film are shown, but in small factors. When the male police officer is walking towards the car with a man with whom we believe is the villain, the shot has been taken from behind (back shot). The two male subjects within the shot are in a silhouette; this creates something slightly more visually intriguing that might have the viewer guessing what it is. When we look closer in at the shot we can see that the clothing that the police officer is wearing can indicate to the audience when the film could have been set in and to help us to understand who the two male characters are.

The moment the officer placed the unknown item into the police car we immediately asked ourselves why is this person using this weapon? And overall what is the weapon? When looking at it in closer detail we can see that it is an unidentified weapon that is very rarely used by criminals. Which comes to a conclusion of that this villain is like no other.

The moment the male officer gets into the car there is a swift shot of the male that has been arrested. The males face has been darkened/ silhouetted out, however when the officer finally gets into the car his face is in full light. This shot symbolises good and evil. The shadows inside indicate that he is something to hide, and this criminal is behind bars when inside the car which could symbolise a dangerous animal in captivity.

When the dialogue has ended there is a wide angles shot of the landscape. This is showing that there is nothing for miles, and if in trouble there would be no one there to help. This is giving an indication of that the theme of the movie is isolation and solitude. Also, because the narrator has stopped speaking it makes it seem like that there is nobody around for miles.

Within the movie there are many close up shots  This shows very little background, and concentrates on either a face, or a specific detail of mise en scène. Everything else is just a blur in the background. This shot magnifies the object (think of how big it looks on a cinema screen) and shows the importance of things, be it words written on paper, or the expression on someone's face. The close-up takes us into the mind of a character. A good example of this is when the male police officer is being brutally murdered by the villain. As the camera has been placed on the floor it emphasizes the struggle of the victim and would give a larger effect for the viewers.

One of the final shots within the opening scene is a high birds eye view shot of the villain washing his hands. This shows a scene from directly overhead, a very unnatural and strange angle. Familiar objects viewed from this angle might seem totally unrecognisable at first. This shot does, however, put the audience in a godlike position, looking down on the action. People can be made to look insignificant, ant-like, part of a wider scheme of things. Within this shot the villain’s handcuffs are in the sink, which is symbolising freedom and independence. However within this show we cannot see the villain’s facial expression which can indicate that he is emotionless and unaffected by the recent events.

 

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